It is difficult to provide a simple universal line winder for winding fishing line onto commonly encountered fishing reels, because of the variety of reels that are commonly encountered. One type of reel is in the shape of a simple spool, but the sizes of such reels vary and therefore it is difficult to provide a simple apparatus for rotatably supporting such a reel and turning it by an electric or hand-driven motor. Another common type of fishing reel includes a built-in handle connected through gears to the spool axle, and a built-in foot or mounting base for holding the reel to a fishing rod. A relatively simple apparatus that could accommodate a variety of types and sizes of commonly encountered reels would be of considerable value.